LG Tone Free T90 review: TWS very comfortable and self-sanitizing with UV

In recent months I have had the opportunity to try the new ones intensely LG true wireless headphonesthe Tone Free T90Q: are well balanced between sound quality, comfort And smart functions, they cost a little more than the average but offer an automatic ultraviolet light sanitization every time you put them back in the case. In short, a really not bad product that I absolutely recommend you take into consideration. That’s all.

I liked these LG Tone Free T90 right away, even before wearing them. I received them from LG in white color, but they are also available in dark gray, very elegant. Obviously they are very reminiscent of the Airpods Pro, but they are a little more small, very discreet, built with quality plastic and level finishes. Don’t miss it IPX4 certificationthey can therefore be safely used for sports, without the risk of infiltration of sweat, humidity or drops of water.

Also there custody it is part of the package, it is a crushed sphere, very solid and this time with a matte finish to avoid the formation of scratches. I’ve opened and closed it dozens and dozens of times and it’s still perfect, with the right stiffness in the hinge and apparently like new. By the way the case is decidedly small and pocket-sizedwhich doesn’t hurt, despite still having a nice 390 mAh battery available complete with wireless charging.

ERGONOMICS

Beyond the aesthetic aspect, I found the wearability of these headphones very interesting. They are in-ear type but I personally hadn’t tried one so comfortable yet. They weigh 5 grams and in the package you will find several adapter rubbers, but most of all the shape of the ear capsule has been well designed which derives from a careful study carried out in collaboration with the University of Pohang, in South Korea.

You can really wear them for hours without feeling annoying pressure in the auricle, or at least, for me it was. However, I realize that these considerations can be completely subjective, everyone has their own physical conformation and unfortunately earphones that can fit perfectly for someone, while for others they can be totally inadequate.

The Tone Free T90Q case comes with a pretty clever function: by connecting it via a Type-C/Jack 3.5 mm adapter to any audio input, you can make any audio source wireless. For example, you can connect the case to your TV to listen to audio directly from the headphones, even if the TV is not equipped with Bluetooth; or on an airplane, you can enjoy the entertainment system wirelessly by simply plugging the case into the audio port of the seat in front; or, why not, connect it to an old radio or a record player, but the applications can be really many.

To activate the function there is a special physical switch on the package that switches you from normal mode to connection mode with the case. Brilliant!

SANITIZATION WITH NANO UV

The second generation of these headphones takes advantage of LG’s UV nano technology allows you to neutralize 99.9% of bacteria which are deposited on the surface of the headset, on the internal shirt and from this year also on the rubber.

By placing the headphones in the case, the UV LEDs will light up and in 10 minutes they will do the job, the function is available with the case battery at least at 40%, or while the case is being charged. In any case, we can also decide to disable automatic sanitation from the settings accessible from the dedicated application.

Sound isn’t everything on TWS headphones, true, but if they sound good, it’s better. Here, these LG T90Qs partially satisfied me at first, but have subsequently received important updates that have gone exactly in the direction I wanted.

At first i 11mm graphene driver they had a somewhat closed sound on the bass, which being very present (even too much), made all the frequencies lose clarity. As I said, however, things have changed and now, while remaining headphones essentially unbalanced on the lows, in reality they have acquired greater sharpness on the highs and a greater presence of mids, thus becoming pleasant for more musical genres.

In addition to the hardware DNA, the custom treatment of meridianwhich went to refine the equalization of 4 different presets: Treble boost, Bass boost, Immersive, Natural as well as a setup that uses HSP (headphone spacial processing) technology to simulate a 3D sound stage.

Then there are more two customizable presets, nice that they are 2, it is not obvious. Everything can be reached within the dedicated app for Android and iOS (very well done, but I’ll tell you about it further down).

DOLBY HEAD TRACKING (ATMOS)

This thing is crazy, by activating the option (which is an alternative to the other presets) the audio is processed by the Dolby algorithms and not only takes on a super realistic spatiality, but modifies the virtual position of the sound source based on head movements.

At first it will all seem a bit strange, but I assure you that watching a film with this mode activated will give you those sensations that only a top-level multi-channel system can give. I hadn’t tried it yet and it is one of those few technologies that leaves you speechless also the undersigned.

Let’s get to the ANC issue: I have now understood that the ANC on TWS is a matter of taste, there are those who like it complete, there are those who like it less invasive. On these LGs, a middle ground was opted forwhich may or may not be ideal.

In short, it is difficult to judge the active noise cancellation, but I can tell you how it works. It doesn’t completely cancel the noises, it attenuates them making them muffled and gloomy, essentially less disturbing. Inside the subway, for example, you will be able to perceive everything that happens around you, but in a suffused and monotonous way, as if you were immersed in an aquarium.

So it’s not the best of life if you’re looking for silence, but LG’s choice was precise: comfort and sound quality. Comfort because even wearing these headphones for hours with active ANC you will never perceive that sensation of occlusion and weight that many headphones give, sound quality because by activating the noise cancellation the sound quality will not be affected in the slightest and, on the contrary, will emerge in a cleaner way.

AMBIENT SOUND MODE

In addition to noise cancellation, you can activate the ambient sound mode, which is further divided into “listening” and “talking”. In the first, ambient sounds will be emphasized in a generalized way, in the second, the focus is on conversations.

There is no possibility to activate this function automatically, but it is possible to activate it simply by touching one of the two stems (which have touch control) for 2 seconds.

From good TWS headphones there is no shortage of smart functions. First of all the control center, i.e. the app LG Tone Free, is very accurate graphically, is practical and well organized. You can update the headset firmware, customize touch controls and much more. Just think that even all the elements of the app’s home can be intelligently sorted based on typical user interactions.

Let’s start with the touch controls: it is possible to set customized actions for 1 touch, 2 touches, 3 touches or long press and it is possible to do it independently for the right and left headphones. The controls Play/stop, activate voice commands, volume up/down, previous/next.

Speaking of touch commands, it is very convenient that a very slight sound feedback is emitted when the command is recognized, it is also good that the sensitivity is high but not exaggerated to avoid involuntary touches.

Present the automatic Play / Pause when the headphones are removed, a function that can be activated or deactivated and uses a proximity sensor positioned on the inside of the ear capsule.

It is then possible to be warned (only in English) vocally for incoming notifications. Inside the Tone Free LAB tab we find the “UVnano always on” functions, to force sanitization with constant UV light even if the case battery is less than 40%; the game mode which reduces audio latency, the whisper mode to speak softly by whispering into the headset to not be heard during a call, finally choose between High quality and Low latency for audio transmission in Wireless Plugin mode (i.e. using the case as transmitter).

The Test My Fit function allows you to calibrate the active noise cancellation, going through an automatic audio test the system detects the physical conformation of the auricles and adapts the ANC filter accordingly, it works, I advise you to do it immediately to get the most out of these LG Tone Free T90Q.

Speaking of connection, these TWS are equipped with technology muti points and multi pairingit is therefore possible to keep them connected to two devices at the same time and save up to 6 recent connections in the memory so that you can switch from one to the other without having to repeat the pairing procedure.

The audio quality in calls is more than good, at least if we are in a low-noise environment. On the other hand, things change considerably in the presence of wind or loud noises, the performances in these conditions represent the only real weak point of these headphones.

The rustling of the wind suffers a lot, as well as very loud noises. I think the problem lies in overly aggressive noise reduction, which ends up making the speaker’s voice tinny and distant. It must be said however that it is probable that with an update things can improve, the hardware is in fact there: three microphones plus a bone conduction sensor that detects the user’s voice and helps to isolate its frequency.

I conclude the review by telling you that They are headphones that I will gladly keep and continue to use. Keep in mind that I could also choose other top-of-the-range TWS headphones, we have several in the office, but I liked these LG too much to abandon them.

There are probably products that sound better, others that are more effective at reducing noise, others still superior in making calls. However, making an overall assessment that takes into account the use of headphones at 360 degrees, I believe that the T9Qs are an excellent concentrate of versatility, reliability and quality, they are exactly as a good pair of TWS headphones should be, with still some room for improvement which I’m sure LG will take advantage of.